Traditionally the slow-starters of IPL, Mumbai Indians are off to a flying start after winning three out of four matches. In the first game, they went down to Rising Pune Supergiant in a close encounter. Against Royal Challengers, the team recovered from 7/4 to win the game with an over to spare.
The team has done well with both bat and ball yet it has a significant concern over the form of its skipper Rohit Sharma. He has not scored in double-digits even once in his four innings. The Mumbai batsman has batted thrice at number three and yet to open the innings this season.
Should Rohit Sharma open the innings for Mumbai Indians?
Rohit Sharma has been either bowled or out LBW against the spinners. It clearly indicates that he needs time to adjust before facing the spinners. A regular Indian Opener, Sharma is more vulnerable to spin as opposed to pace at the start of his innings.
The right-handed batsman’s natural game is to start slow and go berserk. Rohit’s best innings including the two double-hundreds have come in this fashion. Not many batsmen can match Sharma’s strike rate when he gets going. By opening the innings, he would get more time to assess the pitch and conditions.
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Rohit Sharma is a proven match winner for the Mumbai-based franchise. In 109 matches for the Mumbai Indians, he has scored close to 3000 runs at an average of 33.93 and a strike rate close to 130. As an opener, he scored twenty-two half-centuries and a century.
One of the unspoken rules of the shortest format is that the team’s best batsman should face the most number of balls. Keeping this in mind, Rohit Sharma should open for Mumbai Indians sooner rather than later.
